Project Hail Mary
Andy Weir
Recommendation inspired by:
Whoever builds something here will be rich beyond measure - Fabio Pacucci
Andy Weir operates in his own sub-genre of science fiction which is dominated by scientific problem solving that drives the narratives forward, and I am so here for it. Project Hail Mary is similar in many ways to The Martian (which I also loved) -- an isolated explorer must apply scientific principles to engineer his way out of a series of life threatening problems. But the setting, the emergency, and a certain development (that I won't spoil but that makes this my favorite example of another sub-genre of science fiction) ratchet up the stakes and intrigue worlds beyond what The Martian achieves. I couldn't put this book down, and I wish I could send it back in time to my younger self, because I'm almost positive it would have changed my life trajectory by inspiring me to become an engineer.
Recommended by:
Alex Rosenthal, TED-Ed Team
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